Mining company Rio Tinto says it will go beyond the call of environmental safeguards to protect a newly discovered freshwater crab if it is allowed to expand a Cape York bauxite mine.
Rio submitted its second environmental impact statement (EIS) on the South of Embley project to the Queensland government on Monday, after surveys last year discovered the tiny Austrothelphusa crab at the proposed site.
Pat Fiore, president of Rio's bauxite operations, said the company would create a buffer around Winda Winda Creek, where the crab was found.
Mr Fiore said the project's environmental safeguards would "exceed regulatory requirements".
"We have been operating in the western Cape for more than 40 years, and respect for the environment is central to our approach," Mr Fiore said.
"There was never any question that we would safeguard this species."
But The Wilderness Society, which opposes the expansion, said the safeguards were mere window dressing.
"With its supplementary EIS, Rio has barely tinkered at the edges," spokesman Gavan McFadzean (Gavan McFadzean) said.
"If anything, the overall footprint of the mine will now be bigger, due to larger dredging required for barges in the Hey River and the construction of a temporary port facility at Boyd Point.
"Rio is clearly trying to win public support by appearing to address concerns about the crab, but it has failed to do even that.
"If Rio is serious about protecting the crab, they should exclude the Winda Winda Creek catchment from mining."
The project needs Queensland and federal government approval before it can commence.
The company plans to begin construction on the expansion by the end of this year, with production to commence in 2015.
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